MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

5/7 Marmol: “I need to pitch good”

Carlos Marmol made it interesting in the eighth inning Monday. He walked the first two batters he faced but was able to retire the Braves’ 3-4-5 hitters and escape. Manager Dale Sveum was encouraged as Marmol hit 96 mph on the radar gun. He also recognized that he needed to switch from his slider to his fastball.

“It was nice that he came back and started throwing fastballs for strikes,” Sveum said of Marmol, who struck out both Brian McCann and Dan Uggla.

As Marmol walked off the field, he was beating his chest with his fist and yelling. Maybe he’s got his swagger back?

“You sure hope so,” Sveum said. “I never said he wasn’t going to close again. I told him to always be ready to pitch and fight his way back to get his spot again to close ballgames.”

Marmol didn’t translate what he was saying as he came off the mound but admitted he was excited. How did he stay focused after walking the first two batters?

“Not listen to the fans,” Marmol said, smiling. “You know what? [Hearing the boos] made me go. I knew I needed to do better and throw strikes.”

Marmol wants his job back.

“I need to pitch good — that’s what I need to do,” he said.

– Carrie Muskat

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12 Comments

That was a horrible outing–a freaking nightmare if you are Smardj and have just pitched a terrific game. Sveum-Theo are essentially dis-respecting our really good starters by rehabbing Marmol in close games. Fans be damned–we will do what we want all year long because we have declared this a sunk season. Well, my tickets and ball park expenses should not be sunk during close games .

Maybe Sveum was told to trot out both Marmol and Soriano even at the expense of a victory to justify their eventual departure from the team. They are the last two expensive holdovers from the Hendry debacle and Hoystein may be giving them one last beneftit of the doubt respecting both the players and Hendry.

Dolis is doing just fine as the new closer. He throws strikes and has good movement with his pitches. Is a joy to have a closer one can trust and we don`t need all the drama Carlos almost always provides. Marmol needs to improve his English as well as his hurling. “I need to pitch good,” is atrocious English usage. I`m afraid he may have emulated Dale Sveum in that department.

“Is a joy to have…..” Did Marmol write THAT for you jhosk? I think we would do well to refrain from criticism of a players ability to speak a SECOND language. I would much rather have Marmol improve his pitching ability than his speakin’ ability. LUCY… you’ve got some splainin’ to do…..

He’s played great defense,” Sveum said. “He’s obviously lost his legs a little bit, but everything he’s supposed to catch and even some of the web gems he’s had lately, he’s done a great job. Obviously, we could use some more home runs but he’s done a good job. He’s worked his [backside] off and done a really good job in the outfield.”

Just wanted to show you that quote from Sveum there Joey…. my point proven… you need any more proof from reliable sources? Because I am pretty sure the manager of the freaking Cubs should know his stuff… I mean World Series Champion Bob Brenly wasn’t enough so maybe this will help. All you have is an opinion… a very BIASED opinion… get off his back some

Everything “He’s” supposed to catch…HA!! Thanks for proving my point Petrey. Sveum is being diplomatic and respecting Soriano which is admirable but by saying he’s catching everything “He’s” supposed to catch is a telling sign that Sveum doesn’t expect Soriano to catch what a GOOD left fielder would catch, just what they expect SORIANO to catch. And stating that he OBVIOUSLY lost his legs a little bit is just another nice way of saying he’s not going to get to balls that a good left fielder WITH legs would get to. THANKS AGAIN PETREY, I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT. A point was proven, MINE. The Cubs are in full “massage the Soriano dilema” mode becasue they are at a loss as to what to do with this albatross. Nice try however.
Biased? I don’t KNOW Soriano so I neither like him nor dislike him, how can my opinion be biased? My opinion is based on how the man plays, his production is not good six weeks into the season and that’s a fact. He is no longer a good option for a middle of the order hitter.

its amazing how you keep twisting words… it never stops… notice after the part you twisted around it says WEB GEMS… as in making a great play on a ball… Catching everything he is supposed to catch means the guys HASN’T MADE AN ERROR… why do you do this? Its really starting to tick me off…. who is a better option than soriano with Castro 3, Lahair 4 then Soriano? Please I would love to have your incite… when you do please show some statistical proof… you just may sway me if you stop the opinionated, ranting and post up some stats… which you never do.. becides “one i watched and saw him strike out with bases loaded”

“WEB GEMS”??? Yes, I read that and IN MY OPINON that phrase is also being graciously used to prop up Soriano, let alone hilarious. Have you really seen Web Gems by Soriano? Or are the good plays he DID make so out of the ordinary we eleavate them to Web Gem status? Petrey, I GET you think Soriano is the best option for left field and I try my best to refrain from hatred toward another commentor. I would just hope that you will one day undestand that you have the choice to get off my back as well. I owe you nothing, let alone statistics. I agree with OTHER HUMAN BEINGS AND CUBS FANS that the Cubs would be better with several options in left field considering how BAD Soriano’s production has been. Inclulding the much heralded Jackson, the much unknown Mather, LaHair (with Rizzo at 1B) or even (and I hate saying this) the much MEDIOCRE Baker. Just because you think none of these options make sense due to service time or whatever, does not mean that I nor anybody else is not entitled to voice a civil opinion of such. I hope you have a good evening.

the much heralded Jackson??? The kid might not even get brought up this year because he is striking out at a ridiculous rate. You have nothing backing your arguments but opinion… baseball is a statistical game… try looking at them and understand that Soriano is our best option in LF and where he is at in the lineup because we have no one else BETTER… plain and simple……i wish Lahair was out there just as much as you do but we are stuck with Soriano for the time being. Soriano is playing good defensively and need to get his power bumped up and go on a hot streak. I just don’t understand why you come on here everyday and bash the guy… he is improving whether you want to admit it or not… even the freaking manager of the cubs said that… but you must know more than him because why? You ever PLAYED baseball?

I have petrey. I simply and politley reserve my right to disagree with you petrey concerning Soriano….except that I DO see improvement in his outfield play. I would be foolish to argue that point. I also see his improved outfiied play has elevated him to average AT BEST and of course I expect no more from him than average and quite frankly am pleased with Soriano FINALLY acheiving an average defensive game. This improvement is in no way enough to keep him as an everyday lefttfielder when combined with his very dissapointing offense. I AM NOT THE ONE HERALDING Jackson, he is BEING HERALDED in the media. Of course I don’t take the media’s word as gospel, none-the-less, he IS HERALDED. I must have missed the actual, recorded “WEB GEMS” that Sveum mentioned Soriano displaying. I try to watch them on a regular basis when televised, I must have nodded off during that (those?) broadcasts. Unless of course Sveum didn’t mean actuaul Web Gems but used the name Web Gem as a description of what he thought were fantastic defensive plays on Soriano’s part? I certainly do not know more than Sveum, in fact I think Sveum is near brilliant, especially when it comes to discussing Soriano and managing to say all the right things in a very respectful, diplomatic way i.e. “Web Gems”. It should make a bad situation tolerable, at least until Soriano is no longer Sveum’s problem…hopefully ASAP. Good day petrey.

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